Birth of a Thief
by WornBoots
Summary: During the fall of the white gold tower, a child is conceived through rape. This child will go on to shape the future of tamriel - for good or for ill. (Note - the character of Louse isn't the last dragonborn, though he is important in his own way)


Prologue

On the one-hundred and seventy-fifth year of the Fourth Era, a child was conceived of a forced union between a Thalmor man and a Nord woman named Vendla during the fall of the White-Gold Tower; in the final year of the Great War. The Nord woman returned to her homeland of Skyrim, full of pain at the thought of what happened to her. She knew the child would have a hard life but she was determined to see the child into this world; if not only to spite the elf that defiled her.

But this came at a cost, as the battle between human and mer blood inside the mother often takes its toll. By the time she had reached her family's farmhouse to the southeast of riften the babe inside her was becoming more and more restless. By all accounts, it was a miracle she hadn't given birth on the road.

Besides her parents; who were both killed by highwaymen in her youth, she had no other living relatives that she knew of. Consequently, when it came time to welcome the child into the world, the only people present were two women she had met on the road and had agreed to help deliver the baby. One was a Priestess of Mara whose name was Helgi, and the other was a middle-aged nord woman who was adequate with restoration magic named Reyda. Fearing for the safety of the infant, she went to the priestess and told her the circumstances of the pregnancy. She told her about the siege of the tower, how she had fought to protect the empire, and how the inquisitor had taken control of her body with some foreign spell. Initially shocked by the horror of the recount, Helgi was eventually moved by it and agreed to hide the babes' true parentage if possible. For those unfortunate enough to be born half-breeds held the stigma aliens and spies in their own nations.

The birthing was hard. Early morning had turned into late night by the time the child had come, and by that time the woman lay dead in a pool of her own blood; as pale as a vampire. The basic healing spells Reyda had known hadn't been enough to counteract the massive blood loss her patient had suffered. But against all odds, the child had survived; giving the women a sense of relief. After composing herself, Reyda took the time to inspect the newborn for any signs of illness or defect. The boy was healthy, but had high cheekbones and was unusually lanky for a nord baby. He was curled snugly in his swaddling cloths and sleeping peacefully; totally oblivious of his mothers' body lying on top of the table a few feet behind him.

The baby opened his eyes, but the boy didn't have the brown, green, or blue of a nord; but instead they shined with the brilliant gold of an Altmer. Thinking quickly, Helgi tried to cover the babes' eyes with his wrappings, but it was too late. As soon as his golden eyes met those of the woman who had brought him into the world, shock and fury instantly overcame her. Fearing what this woman was going to do, The Priestess threw herself on the healer before she could react. The nord woman shouted as the two wrestle over a dagger: "It's an elf-bastard! That wench consorted with the enemy and has been punished by The Nine!" Now let me go so I can put the elfling out of its' misery before we are all cursed!" Struggling to keep the woman pinned, The Priestess stammered out a reply. "N-no! She was unwilling." The healer loosened her grip slightly as The Priestess continued. "Not everything is as it seems, Reyda.' "Hear me out before you strike."

As the Priestess told the sad story of the woman who lay dead on the table, the healer began to relax. Not totally letting her guard down, the Priestess helped the healer to her feet. After a short while the infant began to cry and she went to comfort him. Taking this opportunity to interject, the healer spoke up. "You know, even if you story is true; the boy will still have a hard life." The Priestess said nothing for a while, as the truth of what the woman had said rang like a bell in the silence. Reyda spoke up again. "It's a shame the boy was born half-blood. It would probably be a kindness to put a pillow over his face and be done with it." After another moment of silence The Priestess spoke again. "No, he was strong enough to make it this long; we should honor his strength by giving him a chance in the world." "Alright then," the healer replied. "In that case you will be the one to bring him to Honorhall." Before parting ways, the two women had decided that Reyda would stay behind to bury the body while Helgi made the trek to Honorhall in Riften. After several hours of digging they lay the body of Vendla to rest as Helgi said a few words in her honor. "May The Nine accept this one into the halls of Sovengarde, for she died fighting a battle only a mother could." Finishing the ceremony, they placed a small headstone fashioned of soft sandstone on top of the mound and left for the road. Their paths would never cross again in this life.


End file.
